Teaching American History Grant
American Tapestry
Lesson Plan
Teacher: Lucy McGuire
Grade: 4
Unit Topic: Underground Railroad
History Essential Questions: Why was the Underground Railroad so
effective in assisting slaves to freedom?
Standards of Learning:
History SOL: The student will:
Understand and apply the knowledge of historical thinking including
historical chronology, turning points, and the causal factors that have shaped
major events in history.
Mathematics SOL: The student will:
Draw and classify two two-dimensional figures and identify symmetry by
using appropriate units, tools, and strategies.
Lesson Objectives(s):
Content: The student will:
The student will learn about the history of the Underground Railroad
and how quilts were used to help escaping slaves.
Using geometric shapes, the student will create a quilt using patterns
(Freedom Quilt Codes) from the time of the Underground Railroad.
Process: The student will:
Read Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson. After
discussing the book, the students will view samples of slave quilts, which
were embedded with secret messages. Using the Freedom Quilt Codes
packet, each student will then decide which quilt block pattern they would
like to create and be given an 8” x 8” sheet to make a 16-square grid. The
student will then use 4” x 4” color paper for the quilt block using 2-3 colors
only. Once the quilt block has been finished, the student will explain its
meaning and why certain colors were chosen for their design.
Materials:
Tradebook: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
Books: Harcourt Social Studies textbook
Handout: Freedom Quilt Codes packet
Paper: one 8” x 8” white sheet per student and decorative/construction
paper precut to 4” x 4” in a variety of colors (several sheets per student)
Scissors, glue sticks, pencils
Primary Source Document: Period photographs, illustrations, and news
articles documenting the people and events of the Civil War-era and Henry
Bibb’s Fugitive Slave Narrative
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/primar
y_sources.htm
http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/underground_railroad.php
Assessment/Evaluation: The student will:
Complete the quilt block using geometric shapes with 80% accuracy, and
explain the meaning behind the freedom code and its importance to the
journey.
Lesson Procedure
Background Knowledge and Purpose Setting: The teacher will:
Discuss the historical significance of quilts in early America and how they
were used during the time of the Underground Railroad to guide slaves to
the North by utilizing secret codes from pre-civil war era quilts. The teacher
will also explain how each quilt contained a specific code or message that
conveyed important information to those who were attempting to escape
towards the North.
Before Reading: The teacher will:
Review vocabulary:
abolitionist: a person advocating for or participating in the movement to end slavery
benefits: The advantages of a particular course of action as measured by good feelings,
dollars or number of items
conductor: a person who led fugitive slaves along the Underground Railroad
costs: The disadvantages of a particular course of action as measured by bad feelings,
dollars or number of items
fugitive: a person who runs away or tries to escape captivity
overseer: a person who supervised the work of enslaved Africans on a plantation
slavery: the institution or practice of enslaving persons
station: a safe house or stopping point along the Underground Railroad.
During Reading: The student will:
Follow Clara’s feelings throughout the story and her inspiration for creating
a freedom quilt.
After Reading: The student will:
Answer the following questions in a class discussion:
1.
3.
4.
5.
7.
8.
What was the purpose of the Freedom Quilt?
What kind of emotions did Clara experience after she was taken from her family?
Why could Aunt Rachel relate so well to Clara's feelings?
What was the purpose of leaving the quilt behind?
What reason can you think of that might cause people to need an escape route?
If you had to leave, what is in your life that you would leave behind to help others?
Create a freedom quilt block.
Closure: The student will:
Discuss the purpose of the freedom quilt and its significance during the
Underground Railroad.
Extension/Differentiation: The student could:
Read Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter, and learn the song,
which was sung in the fields as a secret message. The students can use black
construction paper and stars to design the pattern of the Big Dipper
Constellation.